| House of the Tiger King | |
| Author: | Tahir Shah |
| Audio Read By: | Sam Dastor |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Travel journal |
| Set In: | Peru |
| Publisher: | John Murray |
| Media Type: | |
| Pages: | 240 |
| Isbn: | 978-0-7195-6611-0 |
| Oclc: | 56465330 |
| Preceded By: | In Search of King Solomon's Mines |
| Followed By: | The Caliph's House |
House of the Tiger King is a travel journal in which Anglo-Afghan author Tahir Shah recounts his search for the legendary Inca city Paititi. The book was first published by John Murray in 2004. Its title is a translation of a Machiguenga name for Paititi.
House of the Tiger King was read by Sam Dastor on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in July 2004.[1]
There is a story that before the Spanish Conquistadors invaded and destroyed the last bastion of the Inca empire, Vilcabamba, in 1572, the Inca citizens fled from there, and built a magnificent city in a remote part of the cloud forest.[2] Travel writer Tahir Shah, like many before him, seeks this legendary city—Paititi. Shah begins in the Madre de Dios Region of southeastern Peru. Among his party are a Machiguenga guide called Pancho, and Richard Fowler, a wilderness guide hired by Shah for physical security.
The project was also the basis for a documentary feature film of the same name, directed by David Flamholc.